Friday, March 1, 1940

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Mason City Globe-Gazette (Newspaper) - March 1, 1940, Mason City, Iowa if i i Tj 3 NORTH IOWAS DAILY PAPER EDITED FOR THE HOME VOL XLVI ASSOCIATED PRESS AND UNITED PRESS FULL LEASED WIRES fIVX CENTS A COPY THE NCWSFAFER THAT MAKES ALL NORTH IOWANS NEIGHIOK HOME EDITION MASON CITY IOWA FRIDAY MARCH 11940 MASON CITY THE BRIGHT SPOT THIS PAPER CONSISTS OF TWO SICTiONS SECTION ONE vr ivwj kTrfv ONE NOi 125 PROTEST ENGLISH GRIP ON WORLD Lord Lothian I Troubles Increase By CHARLES P STEWART Central Press Columnist Lord Lothian Britains rather new ambassador in Washington is very popular in our capital The state department likes him and so do our newspaper men This latter item is highly impor tant for its most essential to John Bull to have a good press in t h e United States His lordship knows as well as anybody that Americans generally strongly disap prove of his n a tl onalitys practice ol overhauling our neutral Yankee mails bound abroad in our own ships The recent seizure for exami nation ot many sacksful of such mail at Bermuda from an Ameri can aerial clipper made a partic ularly difficult case for him to handle satisfactorily He couldnt contend that the incident didnt occur because it certainly did However he can and does deny that the seizure was effected at the bayonets point as originally reported Considerable Washington offi cialdom still confidentially sus pects that the bayonet part of the story was true Bermuda and London though back up the Lo thian version of the affair The theory Is that his lordships rep resentationsto his home govern ment were so energetic that it ac quiesced in his account of the t h i n gConsequently it passed off with a minimum amount of unpleasantness The ambassador managed it very clev erly and the state department at least pretended to believe him more or less because he was so tactful about it that it chose to do so to please him But the Next Time But what obviously worries Lord Lothian is the thought that the same thing is likely to happen again and again and again and that finally he will begin to find it pretty hard to smooth matters over as successfully as in the Bermuda instance In short he manifestly wishes that his countrymen would let our mails alone He has to argue because Lon don requires him to do so that Britain is entitled to pry into them under International law but he tells American newspapers quite frankly that he considers it bad policy That hell be able to get it stopped is doubtful He may be persuasive enough to convince the London foreign office which has a certain appreciation of the value of politeness in such situations but the British war office and ad miralty dont pay a bit of atten tion Arbitrary Method During the last war I myself landed in England it was before we became belligerent with the foreign offices full approval At the port of debarkation one of this offices representatives met me on the dock with the remark Youre entirely welcome so far as the for eign office is concerned but youll have to pass the war office representatives inquisition before you can stay I passed it all right but the war office could have overruled the foreign office out of hand if it had so much as disapproved of the color of my hair The British navy Is extremely arbitrary when a wars on in 1915 I crossed the Atlantic on a neutral Danish shin bound from the neutral port nf New York to the neutral port of Copenhag en That boat thc Oscar II wasnt scheduled lo stop anywhere in transit and hadnt on board the subject of any belligerent power or an ounce of cargo des tined for any belligerent port Irritating to Neutrals Nevertheless a British mano war overhauled us the British Orkney islands ran us into the port of Kirkwall kept us there eight days searched us from stem to stern took off our mat confiscated some rubber which the authorities thought might get from Denmark into Germany and scrutinized everybodys passport under a magnifying glass Its middling irritating to a neu tral freeborn American citizen lo be held up on the high sea by a British or any other countrys cruiser and called on lo give an account of himself Riders Attack Ships FISHING BOATS HIT BY PLANES Germans Claim British Warships Attacked and Convoy Dispersed LONDON and Germany fought a bitter giveand take air and sea warfare Friday in which neutral vessels went down With those of the belliger ents While Britain has announced that her reconnaissance planes had flown over Berlin and other German cities during the night in the most extensive scouting flight of the war German bombers at tacked shipping off Britains east coast An authoritative source said a convoy had been attacked but no ships were hit It was un derstood the attack took place too far for British fighters to go into action effectively Tlie official German news agency DSB asserted that Ger man bombers had attacked nu merous British warships con voys and armed merchantmen Friday dispersing a convoy and sinking several large Caught in the bomb and ma chinegun attacks on trawlers which the British said were fish ing craft was the Norwegian steamer Brbtt 1583 tons bombed from badly into an east coast port Six of her men were adrift on a raft and two others were picked up Norwegian Foreign Minister Halvdan Koht said only Thursday that Norway was protesting against German attacks on Nor wegian The 5340 ton Italian steamer Mirella sank within Z minutes after striking a mine H miles off the Suffolk coast Thursday night and Friday two of her lifeboats reached the coast hearing14 men suffering from exposure and the body of one or their mates who had died Eleven other members of the crew were missing Official statement said of the flights over Germany that they were the longest of the war rang ing from six to ten hours All craft returned safely without en countering enemy opposition ei ther in the air or on the ground the statement said Nazi planes attacked several boats described as fishing trawl ers off the coast of Yorkshire France was described Friday to have lost two cargo boats by Ger man action in midFebruary A British pursuit plane drove off planes which bombed and machinegunned the fishing boat Courage British reports said Several boats described as fish ing trawlers were attacked off Yorkshire A trawler and a drifter went to the aid of a vessel which sent an SOS A Norwegian ship badly damaged managed to reach an east coast port after sending dis tress signals She was believed damaged by German air attack One man was killed and eleven persons were missing after an un named Italian steamer was mined in the North sea The air ministry announced that royal air force scouts had reached Berlin during the night on the third such excursion within a week Increase in aerial activity in the half year old war Jent point to the comment of a British aviation source which said Ger man air attacks on shipping apparently are part of a long term attempt to bleed Britain white The essence ot the German plan said the British aviation authority seems to be to strike at Britain in a way in which Germany cannot be struck in re turn and to refrain from measures which would invite immediate and overwhelming counterattack Failure of Germany to launch mass attacks which Great Britain expected hourly during the first weeks of the war has bolstered confidence in the nations anti aircraft defenses and has permit ted expansion of the British air force without the disturbance of major fighting Will Find Three Chief Questions in Capital Is Not Expected to Make Any Proposals for New Legislation from his vacation cruise Saturday in time to observe the new deals seventh anniversary President Roosevelt will find three questions paramount in the capital 1 Politics Will the chief ex ecutive run for a third term and when will he make known his decision 2 Foreign affairs What will Undersecretary of State Welles report on his visits to the Euro pean belligerents 3 Congress Will the presi dent make any new legislative recommendations or will he urge the lawmakers to Quit early Only in regard to the third question is there general agree ment on the presidents expected answer It will surprise everyone in Washington if he proposes any important new laws at this time Rather he probably will favor ad journment of congress between May 15 and June I That would give congressmen time for a brief an earto theground survey at fore the national conventions pick the presidential nominees And you can find many a poli tician who will argue that the democratic convention will be in session July is before Mr Roose velt discloses his third term views Some even predict that he will be then will de cline An important segment of po litical Washington contends that he will nuke an announcement on Monday the anniversary of his first inaugur ation in 1933 Still other politicians believe that the president will keep silent until after the Illinois and Wiscon sin primaries early in April His name has been entered by sup porters In opposition to Vice President Gamer Mr Roosevelt his been exhibit ing a marked interest in national detense problems His cruise through the Caribbean emphasized a study of Panama canal defenses It was predicted on capitol hiJl that he might urge the senate to provide funds for new bombproof locks for the canal in order to guarantee easy passage for Ameri can naval vessels between the At lantic and Pacific coasts at all times A house committee turned down his first proposal for SI5 000000 to start the locks BLOCK NAZI COAL ON WAY TO ITALY British Offer to Supply Fascists With All of Fuel Required LONDON German coal found in cargo ships after midnight Friday night will be sub ject to detention by the British contraband control it was an nounced officially Friday The order meant that Britain was blockading Italys sea imports of coal from Germany It was estimated officially that under the order the allies would halt between and 6000000 tons ot coal which Italy annually receives from Germany by sea Britain it was learned authori tatively has offered to supply Italy with all the coal she re quires provided she can arrange to pay for it Several Italian colliers now are at Rotterdam waiting to load Ger man coal The otficial announcement said that some apprehension had arisen regarding tlie detention of Ger man coal exports lo Italy It always has been intended that German coal exports to Italy should be subjected to the enemy exports control and the Italian government was so in formed shortly after the Nov 27 order in council was issued a spokesman said The order in council in question extended the allied blockade to German cxpoits as well as im ports LOOK INSIDE FOR ROBERT DONAT Declared King of Actors in Hollywood PAGE 2 SwaledaleNorthwood Advance in Local Meet PAGE S North Iowa Counties Take Phosphate Tests PAGE 3 MARCH FROLICS IN LIKE LAMB Generally Fair Weather Forecast Saturday in Iowa Mercury Rises DES MOINES as mild as a gamboling lamb frisked into Iowa Friday with thawing temperatures and spring1 i k e breezes The mercury touched a high mark of 56 degrees Thursday at Council Bluffs as a general thaw blanketed the state The low Q Thursday night was only 24 degrees at Mason City It was 26 at Charles City Above freezing tem peratures were reported again Friday morning with thermometers standing at 35 degrees here Fri day morning about seven degrees above normal No precipitation was reported m the last 24 hours and clouds blanketed the entire slate The weather bureau predicted generally fair weather Saturday with minimums Friday night not much below the freezing mark WORMS TURN SOUTH BEND Ind Worms arc seeking to last names Mr and Mrs Stanley W Worm and Mr and Mrs Everett A Worm filed a petition to change their names to Warren because their present monickers have con stantly exposed us to ridicule and embarrassment Tho male Worms are twins Betsey Roosevelt Says James Deserted Her LOS ANGELES Ayl Mrs etsoy Gushing Roosevelt seeking divorce from James Roosevelt eldest son of the president testi fied Friday that he asked her in May 1933 for a divorce and later deserted her in the cast upon her refusal SOVIETS BUST WAY AHEAD TO VIIPURIS EDGE Finns Virtually Admit Large City Untenable in Face of Attacks BULLETIN HELSINKI red army closed in on shell battered deserted Viipuri from three sides Friday locking the city tighter In a pincherlike grip while swarms of warplanes droned overhead in the greatest aerial offensive in days HELSINKI blasted their way to the outskirts of Viipuri Friday bringing the war now entering its fourth month to a critical point A Moscow war communique said Russian troops were in Vji puris summer residential section a mile south the city proper and were advancing all along the Man nerheim line after having captured 270 fortified positions Finns virtually admitted that their second largest city was un tenable that Russian occupa tion was only a question of time and that the Russians were now so close that they could see the fires their artillery had set Strategically Viipuri is of great Importance to the invaders It lies at the head of the Karelian isth mus and once established there they wouldbeonthe road to Hel sinki lying 200 miles southwest by a broadcoastal highway Viipuris fall would mark tht end of one phase of the Eussian advance at terrific cost in lni materials northward Russians Predict Viipuri Fall Soon MOSCOW mili tary experts forecast the immi nent fall of Viipuri Finlands second city Thursday and indicated that afterward the red army will split one unit at tempting to turn the Manner neim line northward and the other pushing up the Vibore Ilelsinki railroad with the Fin nish capital as its objective from the Leningrad area through the outer defenses of the Man nerheim line to the western end of the isthmus The advance from Viipuri presumably would be west and south toward thecapital Not minimizing the seriousness of the situation tho Finns dis pelled any doubts that they would continue the fight after Viipuri falls The present retreat it was said was ordered because of Fin hnds numerical inferiority and the value she places on the lives of the men in contrast to the flus sian tactics of throwing a con stant stream of fresh divisions into the fight In complete disre gard for casualties The Finns estimated that the Russians have lost 150000 men 500 airplanes and 1800 tanks in this invasion most of them on the isthumns The Finns have thrown up new defenses around and behind Vii pun in the forests and boulder strewn flatlands and they were expected to make uses of the ruined walls in the city possibly dcfend the city from house to house to give their comrades be hind the city more time to build new fortifications The Weather FORECAST IOWA Partly cloudy some what coldercast and north central Friday night Saturday generally fair MINNESOTA Generally fair Friday night and Saturday Somewhat colder south Friday night rising temperature west Portion Saturday IN MASON CITY GlobeGazette weather tics Maximum Friday 32 Minimum Friday night 24 At 8 a m Friday 24 Although fog was observed Fri day morning March made its of ficial entrance with general mild YEAR AGO Maximum Minimum Prccip Snowfall 0 11 114 inches Ten year old Arnold Andraflc fell Into the Lorenzo reek at HayXvard Cal but managed to clins to a tree slump rU S uW relc mp with a ladder Arnold 4 Feared Drowned as Car Upset AreJounddn Tree One Person Is Still Missing as Flood Catches California Car SAN FRANCISCO waters rushing through a broken dike caught up Friday near Meri dian with an automobile in which a family six was fleeing over turning it Six hours later after five of the occupants had been given up for drowned four were found perched in a treetop Mrs Frank Fleharly remained miss ing and was believed to have perished The person Frank Fleharty was rescued by a motorist Mrs Flehartys death brought lo five the toll o the fiveday flood in northern California Two peisons were missing and more than 5000 had been forced flooded homes The Meridian levee broke short ly after midnight The 500 resi dents of the town fled to higher ground Mr and Mrs Fleharly two daughters their soninlaw and a small child started out in their car They hntl gone about a qiiariermile from tlieir ranch home whrn flood water caught the car and overturned it Fleharty was saved immediately The others in the party dis appeared and were given up as lost until the rescue workers came upon them in a tree Mrs Fleharty perished they said Meridian was isolated with all highways blocked Several levee workers narrowly escaped death in the sudden surge of water While authorities struggled to combat the flood along a 150 mile front looting of victims homes was reported from Redding near the northern tip of the stricken area American Legionnaires w ere deputized for emergency duty in Colusa and men fought to close a break in the Sacramento river levee a mile west of the city U SBoy14Jeds Strongly About Aid to Finland Runs Away PHOENIX Ariz year old Larry Baker told his father he was fed up with the halfhearted manner in which the allies and the United States were aiding Finland in her war against soviet Russia Sam Baker not realizing how strongly his son felt on the subject agreed Next morning the father found this note from Larry I am going to the war front in Finland Please dont report me missing Larry formerly a student in a military school is an ardent avia tion enthusiast and his father added lias a mind of his own Police have been asked to lo cate him lowan Slain in Shooting After Tavern Dispute FAIRFIELD Felled by four bullets Emon Halter 37 died Friday morning in a beer tavern en Fnirficlds west out skirts Sheriff Herbert Goodale said ho was holding Lee Williams of Ottumwa in connection with the shooting The sheriff said the shooting occurred about a m He also arrested Mrs SIalel Murdy 35 of Ottumwa who had been dancingr Harler Just before he was killed but released her later Friday morn ing She returned to Ottumwa lie said The sheriff said Harter Wil ilums and Mrs Murdy were mem bers of a parly of four who had come lo the tavern Thursday night A dispute arose among them about midnight he said Sheriff Goodale siid witnesses told him Williams decided to go home to Ottumwa and asked MrV Murdy to leave with him Harter he said continued to dance with the woman The shooting followed Tlie sheriff said he had not yet identified the fourth member of the party Harter was wounded four times in he chest and died im mediately the sheriff said No charges have been filed The sheriff and County Attorney George Van Nostrand continued their investigation of the Friday Williams is being held in the Jefferson county jail here Frantic Parents See 3 Children Burn HOLDERNE5S N It While their frantic parentswere held at bay by flames three in fants burned to death Friday in their small tworoom house They were Roy Paul aged 3 Myron 18 months and Betty Anne ievcn months the children of Mr and Mrs Roy H Paul They were trapped in the kitchen The cause of the fire was not deter mined CLARION MAN INJURED can Jorgcnson ot Clarion is recovering in the Bernard hospital here from sev eral broken ribs which he received when a transformer he was work ing on at the M A Stark farm fell on him The work is part of the REA project in Wright county GERMANS VOICE VIEWS WELLES OPENS PARLEYS U S Undersecretary Meets Von Ribbentrop Will Next See Hitler By LOUIS P LOCHNEK BERLIN is not prepared even to discuss peace unless Britains stranglehold on tlie economic life of the world is broken This Is understood to have been the central thesis of the first talk Friday between President Roose velts factfinding emissary and Adolf Hitlers foreign minister Moreover Foreign minister von Ribbentrop is understood to have told Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles that until Britains dominance is ended Germany is not ready to enter tain Secretary Hulls ideas con corning elimination of autarchy regimentation and totalitarian ism from tlie postwar economic world Sources In von Ribbcntrops confidence developed this idea so strongly to this correspondent that there can be little doubt that Rib bentrop himself gave this view to Welles with whom he was closeted soon alter the Ameri cans arrival Friday The talk began at noon and lasted until p m a m C S T after which Welles was escorted back to his hotel in a German official car bv one of von Ribbentrops adjutants Then Welles and the United States charge daffaires Alexander Kirk went to theAmerican delegations suite Later Welles announced that his interview with Chancellor Hitler had been set for 11 a m Satur day 4 a m C S T The American was mmcom miflal on his talk with von Ribbenfrop but said it was very interesting and I was shown every courtesy by the German government Welles arriving from Rome where he already had conferred with Premier Mussolini on his factfinding mission for President Roosevelt was greeted in the Ger man capital Friday morning with the shrieks of air raid sirens It was a regular alarm rehearsal It was understood that the pur pose of Welles talk with von Rib bentrop was to prepare the ground the Americans meeting with Adolt Hitler Saturday In developing the thesis that Britain has a stranglehold on tlie world von Ribbentrop was helieved to have told Welles that British censorship of Ameri can Clipper mail at Bermuda was a mere pinprick for the United States compared tj what Ktiropc and Asia feels all the time So long as England holds Gib raltar and the Suez Canal for ex von Ribbentrop is sup posed lo have is no security for the rest of the world According to Hie German view England ues economic strangu lation as one of her chief wea pons for holding the rest of the world in submission and there fore Germany is rendering a ser vice to cixilization in challenging Britains right to such a practice Germany would rather fight to the bitter end than to agree to a compromise fay which attcr some years when England is in con trol of strategic control points governing raw materials and the worlds business she decides to set enemies and neutrals by the tliroals again zf Von Ribbcnirop according to reliable sources also pointed out Germany established a pro tectorate over Bohemia and Mora via heart of the former Czecho slovak republic and seized Poland only because England and France tried to use these areas as opcral iiiK bases against Germany If the present grip on Bohemia and Moravia is tight and if Poland at present is ruled with a firm hand von Ribbentrop was repre sented as ready to say to Welles in reply to any questions along these lines this is due to the fact that the British and French even now have not ceased trying to incite these nations to rebellion The foreign office lays claim to being m possession ol evidence that the British arc busy in Lith uania stirring up trouble there Similarly according to this view Czech emigrants are being en couraged The view is that once tngland and France are ready Jo pivc guarantees that they will ho5 sbr up nations in